


Freshening Up

by Wallwalker



Category: Skies of Arcadia
Genre: Community: 30_kisses, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-01
Updated: 2009-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-04 01:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wallwalker/pseuds/Wallwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aika wanted to look her best for their new guest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freshening Up

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff. Remember the scene with the handkerchief? Originally written for the [30_kisses](http://community.livejournal.com/30_kisses) community at Livejournal.

Aika walked into her house with a bounce in her step and hummed as she locked the door behind her. There was, she was certain, absolutely nothing that could ruin this good mood that had come over her now. It had been such a fantastic day....

She grabbed a hairbrush from the table - she must've left it there last time she was braiding her hair - and practically skipped over to her bed to sit. Her fingers worked quickly as she loosened the bands that secured her braids, watching as her hair started to unravel from its tight restraints in the mirror and shaking her head to speed the process along. Her hair fell around her shoulders, bright red and still wavy from its confinement. She kept humming as she worked out the worst tangles with her fingers. Everyone said that she had pretty hair, that they just didn't understand why she kept it braided up like that - they either thought she should keep it long and just tie it back, or cut it off so that it would be more manageable on a ship. But it would be a real mess if she didn't braid it - she'd tried it once and it had been a disaster. And she liked long hair, so really, what could she do?

But it really had been a fantastic day, really swell. They'd let her board a ship for the first time in she didn't know how long - it wasn't her fault she'd messed up on that Black Pirate raid, she thought sourly, it was because Vyse had _pushed_ her - and it had been a Valuan ship. No dirty pirates to fight, just cocky guards and a strutting peacock of a commander that didn't even have the pride to defend his ship. Well, she thought with a grin, Valua could kiss _that_ warship and its cargo goodbye; the Blue Rogues might not be as bloodthirsty as the Black Pirates, but they didn't give treasure back once they'd captured it, that was for sure!

Not to mention the fact that they'd saved a prisoner... that always made Aika feel warm and fuzzy inside, like they were doing something really good. And Fina was such a sweet person - she wasn't one of those brats who took offense to the fact that "Air Pirate scum" had saved their lives. Granted, that was probably because she didn't really know what Air Pirates were - a fact that Aika still found amazing whenever she thought too hard about it - but still. It was going to be nice to have someone her age to talk to - the other girls on Pirate Isle were either old biddies who did nothing but gossip about their husbands, or raiders who were too old to deal with a teenager like Aika.

She was a pretty girl, too. That was why Aika had excused herself - unlike Vyse, who didn't really seem to care what he looked like to anyone, Aika wanted to look her best for their new guest. Of course she knew that Vyse was taking the opportunity to give Fina the grand tour of the island, but that was okay. Aika was going to get her chance. She already had it planned out - she was going to ask Captain Dyne to let her take Fina on a scenic tour of Mid Ocean on the little air-skimmer, and she was sure that as long as she did all of her duties and showed up for everything on time for a change, he would agree. She wasn't like Vyse, who let his natural charm and niceness cover for his lazy streak - she could do her work _very_ well, and very quickly, when she was of a mind to -

Something outside rustled loudly, and Aika jumped. It sounded like it had come from the wall - Dyne had promised he'd make sure that knothole was fixed, but he still hadn't gotten around to it. Was someone looking in on her _again?_ Those kids should _know_ better by now! "Who's there?" she snapped, raising her arm and still holding on to the mirror tightly. There was a strangled sound from outside, but Aika didn't give the Peeping Tom any time to get away - as soon as the words were out of her mouth she threw the mirror at the hole in the wall as hard as she could.

She was rewarded by a yelp of surprise that could've only belonged to one person; she knew that voice better than anyone's. Fuming, she stormed up to the wall and looked him straight in the eye. "_Vyse!_ What do you think you're doing, looking in on a girl like that!?"

Ok, she admitted to herself as Vyse started to wheedle and bluster - there _was_ something thing that could put a dent in her good mood. But just a small dent. Vyse acting silly wasn't worth getting really unhappy about; it happened way too often anyway....

\---

Aika spent longer with her hair than she'd expected to, as usual - she always underestimated the time it took to brush it and braid it and make sure it was nice and smooth and clean. The sun was setting by the time she left her home and ran across Pirate's Isle to find Vyse and Fina.

She found them in Vyse's house, as she'd expected - it was late, and Vyse's house had the best dinners on Pirate Isle. Fina didn't see her come in at first; she was talking softly with Vyse's mother, who was busily slicing carrots from the island garden. Vyse was sitting closer to the door and heard Aika come inside almost at once; he looked up at her with a sheepish smile on his face. "Hey, Aika," he said.

Aika noticed with a mingling of satsifaction and guilt - well, ok, just a _little_ guilt - that he had a mark on his forehead. At least he'd gotten out of the way enough that she hadn't hit his eye; Vyse might be a pirate but he was a little bit young for his first real eyepatch. "You ok?" she asked.

He nodded. "I guess I should apologize, huh?"

"If you have to ask that, you're even more clueless than I thought," she said lightly, but she had a bit smile on her face. She didn't tease Vyse because she wasn't his friend; quite the opposite, in fact. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't keep him on his toes? Someone had to. "But don't worry. I forgive you."

"Ok. Just... do me a favor, Aika?"

"What kind of favor?"

"Don't tell Fina what happened, ok?"

She grinned widely, her good mood back in full force. "Of course I won't!"

Fina looked up and saw Aika then, and she smiled shyly and excused herself from her conversation with Vyse's mother. "Are you feeling better, Aika?" she said quietly as she approached.

"I sure am," Aika answered, her good mood back in full force. "C'mon - let's go out and watch the sunset. I know where we can get a great view!"

"That's a great idea," Vyse agreed. Fina just smiled and nodded serenely.

Yeah, Aika told herself again as she led Vyse and Fina outside, it had been a really wonderful day.


End file.
